Prime Highlights:
McGill University researchers discovered the molecular structure of velvet worm slime, which could revolutionize sustainable material design.
The slime transitions between liquid and fiber forms, offering potential for recyclable bioplastics.
Key Background:
A groundbreaking study from McGill University has revealed insights into the slime ejected by velvet worms, potentially transforming the future of sustainable material design. The research uncovers how a unique protein structure, conserved across velvet worm species from Australia, Singapore, and Barbados, allows their slime to transition between liquid and fiber forms, offering a potential breakthrough for next-generation recyclable bioplastics.
Led by Matthew Harrington, a chemistry professor and Canada Research Chair in Green Chemistry, the team’s findings suggest that nature has already perfected a method for creating materials that are both strong and recyclable. “By decoding the molecular structure of velvet worm slime, we’re now one step closer to replicating that efficiency for the materials we use every day,” Harrington stated.
Velvet worms, small caterpillar-like creatures inhabiting humid forests in the southern hemisphere, use their slime to ensnare prey. The slime rapidly hardens into fibers as strong as nylon, which can be dissolved in water and reformed into new fibers. The molecular process behind this remarkable reversibility had previously remained elusive.
Through the use of protein sequencing and advanced AI-driven structure prediction tools like AlphaFold, the 2024 Nobel Prize-winning technology, Harrington’s team identified proteins in the slime that resemble cell receptors in the immune system. These proteins likely link large structural proteins to facilitate fiber formation. Comparative analysis of two velvet worm subgroups, separated by nearly 380 million years of evolution, confirmed the functional importance and evolutionary significance of this protein structure.
Unlike traditional petroleum-based plastics, which are energy-intensive to produce and recycle, the slime from velvet worms relies on simple mechanical forces to generate durable fibers from renewable sources. These fibers can then be reconstituted without harmful byproducts. The research suggests that by altering the chemistry of the binding mechanism, it may be possible to create practical, recyclable materials without the limitations of current plastic products. The next step for the research team, which includes collaborators from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore, will be to experimentally validate the binding mechanisms and explore their potential applications in engineered materials.
